35 : STEVE'S DOWN*
"Rogers, you will be assigned with a full SHIELD troop and you will lead them to destroy one of Beyond Corporation's research facility in Mumbai"
Fury briefing Steve and his team in the main meeting hall in Triskelion. Steve was looking at his file about Beyond Corporation, a high-tech terrorist cell.
"Our spy tells us that they are researching an extremely dangerous chemical weapon. You will do any means necessary to stop their operation and bring back some samples to our research facility for further research of potential antidote"
"Yes, sir"
"You will have Hawkeye and Ironman with you"
Steve left that night and left a note for Natasha. She woke up and found that he was gone. She didn't like it at all to wake alone without her super soldier.
She went down the kitchen with Pringles following behind and found that everyone was gathering around a kitchen counter, loudly debating on something.
"Agent Romanoff, there is a delivery for you from Captain Rogers" JARVIS informed.
"Thanks, J"
"There you are" Pepper said and dragged the spy into the kitchen area. "We've been waiting for you to open this"
Pepper handed Natasha an envelope before gestured her hand to the vase of red roses on the counter top. Even her cat was curious about the vase and sniffed the flowers.
"He start this since we got back together" Natasha told the girls "When he leaves for a mission of more than two days, he will send me flowers with a poem as a promise he will always come back to me"
"He is so freaking cute" Darcy couldn't help but fangirling so hard "Open it!"
Natasha opened the letter before walked away from the girl and quietly read it.
O, my love is like a red, red rose,
That is newly sprung in June.
O, my love is like the melody,
That is sweetly play'd in tune.
As fair are you, my lovely lass,
So deep in love am I,
And I will love you still, my Dear,
Till all the seas go dry.
Till all the seas go dry, my Dear,
And the rocks melt with the sun!
O I will love you still, my Dear,
While the sands of life shall run.
And fare you well, my only Love,
And fare you well a while!
And I will come again, my Love,
Although it were ten thousand mile!
"Don't just smile! Tell us what he wrote" Darcy commanded
"A red, red rose by Roberts Burns" Natasha replied and her smile widened "One of my favorites"
Natasha picked up a vase and held it close before she took a full whiff of the roses. The spy could not stop smiling.
She really was looking forward for her soldier to come home.
Three days after that, Natasha was hanging around in the living with her friends and watched as Pringles and little Anthony played together.
Her cat really liked being around the little angel so much that she and Steve always found it in the nursery, sleeping next to Anthony as if it was protecting the baby.
They were watching Lion King when JARVIS interrupted their peaceful evening.
"Sorry for the interruption but Director Fury requested the presence of the Avengers at the Triskelion"
Natasha immediately responded "Tell him we on our way"
Natasha drove herself and Bruce to SHIELD while Thor flew above them. They found Fury and Hill at the runway and SHIELD medical team was loading one person in the gurney of the plane with Clint and Tony quickly followed behind
"Steve!" Natasha called loudly when SHIELD medic took Steve into the building
"Hey" he weakly said "I missed you"
Steve was covered with blood. Natasha could see only two bullet holes but how come he was covered with this much blood?
"What are his injuries?" Bruce interrupted
"He took two bullets, doctor. We took the first bullet out but his wound didn't heal itself like he normally does" Clint informed "The second bullet is still in his wound"
"Take him to the surgery room and Natasha, get me Betty and Bobbi" Bruce told "We might be dealing with with a bio-chemical weapon"
Natasha immediately did as Bruce told. The doctor followed Steve's gurney into the surgical suite. Tony already had a bullet and started running an analysis with Bobbi and Betty. They needed to find the chemical compound of the poison before creating the right antidote.
Natasha and the rest of the team were sitting in the waiting area. The spy paced back and forth relentlessly. Hands gasping together in anxiety, afraid that he might not heal properly.
After two hours of surgery, Bruce finally came out with an update.
"Luckily, his wounds are not big but the effect from the bullet is what we are worried about"
"What happen to him?"
"We believe he got hit by an Anti-healing factor bullet, specially designed for him" Bruce told "It stopped his healing process and lowered his immune system to the level of a normal persons"
"You mean...he will get sick?" Natasha asked
"Or he cannot heal his wounds right away?" Clint too was curious and worried.
"Probably" Bruce replied "But we are working and doing what we can to find an antidote."
"We will move him back to the tower tomorrow" Fury chimed in "Because, right now, Captain America is the biggest liability on this team. We cannot afford to put him in the field if he is not cured properly"
"Sir, I would like to stay with Captain Rogers until he is fully recovered" Natasha asked
"You can but if there is are important missions, you will have to come in"
"Fair deal, sir"
They brought Steve back to the Tower and Bruce began to scan every inch of his body and immune system again. Steve looked really uncomfortable with this situation. It made him feel like he was that scrawny kid before the serum once again.
"I'm still feeling fine, Dr. Banner" Steve confirmed once again
"I know, Cap but your immune system is lower than usual. I have to make sure that it is in the rate of normal and healthy people"
The result showed up in the monitor. Bruce frowned.
"Cap, you might need to stay only in the tower until we find you a cure to whatever they shot you with"
"No! I can't stay in the tower forever. I have work to do"
"Please calm down, Steve. You are in a very delicate state, almost fragile. One mistake may cost your life"
"Find the antidote to this" The Captain said "and fast"
Steve got up from his seat and began to walk toward the elevator. Suddenly, he sneezed loudly.
"Bruce, I might have a cold" Steve said with a terrified eyes.
Bruce put Steve in his bedroom and gave him a medicine. The captain went to sleep in no time. The others gathered in his living room.
"How is he?" Tony asked
"He took it well, for now" Bruce replied "He needs to get used to this. It's been a long time since he felt this weak"
"Poor boy" Pepper said "It must been really hard for him"
"What about the antidote? Did SHIELD find out what it is?" Natasha asked, tried very hard to keep calm.
"Betty and Bobbi are trying to find the base chemical substance used to create it and running and analysing now, just as we speaking" Bruce replied "I will get back to work now and Natasha, you need to keep him in bed. Don't let him walk around until he was feeling better than this"
Luckily for Natasha, Steve slept all day. Bruce came in to perform some checkup and draw blood for a sample. He warned Natasha to keep some distance from Steve because she might catch his cold.
"Don't worry, doc. My version of the serum is just strong as Steve's"
Bruce nodded and headed back to his labs. Natasha sat down beside the sleeping Steve Rogers before she kissed his forehead.
She didn't know when she fall asleep but when she woke up, Steve was still sleeping next to her. She went down to the kitchen and made him some soup. Pepper and Jane helped her prepare a very nice breakfast for her sick boy.
When she came back, she found Steve was awake, wrapping himself securely in a blanket.
"Hey, sweetie. How are you feeling?"
"This is a very low moment for Captain America" He mourned "I should be in the field with my team"
Natasha chuckled and sat the tray down next to him.
"Come on, you need to eat something" She said and handed him a soup bowl.
"Too weak to hold the bowl" He replied weakly
She sighed and rolled her eyes "Fine, I will feed you"
She fed him but when the hot soup touched his tongue, he spit it back out.
"Ouch! That's hot" He exclaimed. Natasha narrowed her eyes annoyingly before lightly blowing the soup on the spoon and putting the spoon in front of him
"I don't want it. I want apple pie"
"No you can't have apple pie. It's only 8 am, Steve!"
"But my throat hurts" He whined
"NO!"
"I hate you…" He groaned and rolled himself over to another side, his back facing Natasha.
Natasha put down a bowl and got up from bed. Steve quickly turned and grabbed her hands
"Please don't go" He begged with his puppy dog eyes.
"Then eat this damn soup and take the medicine!"
Natasha stomped down from Steve's floor into the living area where everyone was gathered. Tony still laughing from something and Natasha saw that it was a video feed from their bedroom.
"This is hilarious" Tony said and tried really hard to catch his breath "The side of Steve Rogers we never ever have seen before!"
"A very annoying Steve Rogers by the way" Natasha flopped down next to Clint "I don't understand why he's acting like this"
"Maybe he is taking it really bad" Clint suggested "The last time he got sick is like 70 something years ago"
"If he keeps acting like this, I might kill myself" The spy mumbled before closed her eyes
The next day was worse than yesterday. Steve didn't want to eat and kept whining that he would like to go out and he wanted to eat apple pie.
Natasha tried as much as she could not to hit the pressure point on his neck.
The third day was a little better when Steve began to eat some food and listen to what Natasha said but when he seemed to be getting better he just got worse again.
She tried to get him off his bed but Steve refused and pulled the blanket over his head.
"No, I don't want to go out" He protested "I'm tired and I need more sleep"
"Steve, get up. You stayed in bed for four days now. It is time for you to walk around and go out and off this floor"
"I don't want to" The blanket replied back. "I'm not feeling good at all"
"Get up now or I will shoot you"
"Please, I just need more sleep"
Natasha cursed in Russian and walked out the door. She marched into the living room, looking very pissed and demanded,
"Someone please find a cure to stop this mess! I cannot take giant whining baby Steve Rogers anymore" Natasha said angrily.
"Bruce said the antidote will be ready by tomorrow. He needs to run some tests to make sure before we inject it to Steve"
"Thank God!"
Bruce came back after he got a satisfied result of the antidote. Everyone was gathered in Steve's bedroom to watch the doctor inject the cure.
"Steve, I will inject you with an antidote. It will make you feel better in no time" Bruce calmly told
"I hate needles" Steve whined
"I can see what you are talking about, Red" Tony whispered with chuckled "This is hilarious"
Natasha glared at Tony before she turned her attention to Steve again. Bruce gently injected the cure.
"You will sleep at least a day, Captain. It's the process of restoring your immune system and flushed off the poison in your system"
"Thanks, Bruce"
Steve slowly drifted off. Everyone was back in the living area when Natasha got a call from Fury, asking her to join in a mission.
"I will be back" She said "Take a good care of him"
Blue eyes fluttered open. Steve could feel his muscles surging with power like he used to be. He didn't feel dizzy and he didn't have a running nose again. The antidote from Bruce did work.
He jumped off his bed and dressed, feeling good about himself once again.
"JARVIS, I'm back to be the 100% me, ain't I?"
"Yes, sir. Your immune system and the serum in your veins are working normally again."
"Where's Natasha?"
"In your art studio, sir"
Steve sprinted off the art studio. He found Natasha Romanoff was painting on a large canvas. She was wearing his navy blue shirt with a brush in her hand.
"Why are you wearing my shirt? And not to mention that you are messing with my painting equipment" He said
"Painting"
He moved closer and saw what she was painting, a very beautiful flower painting.
"Wow, Nat! That's beautiful" He praised
"I learned from the best"
"But I never taught you"
"Not you, baby" She replied before let out a chuckle because Steve's face faltered "Kidding! I watched you do your painting and I kinda adapted from you"
"This—this is beautiful" He repeated again "You still didn't tell me why you are wearing my shirt"
"I needed something comfy. The cut on my waist makes it really hard to put on most of my clothes"
"What?!"
"I got it from yesterday on a mission" She told "I underestimated my enemy. Don't worry, Steve. Bruce already checked it out"
He gently turned her to face him as he tugged her shirt up. He saw a large bandage wrapped around her waist.
"You should take it slow, baby" He said, concerned
"I cannot take it slow, Rogers" She replied, turning back to her painting "By the way, I noticed you stopped being your whining baby self"
"Cold and sickness have a very weird effect on me"
"I hope it will not happen again" She slyly smiled "I cannot take it again without shooting you for real"
"I promise you it will not happen again" He said "Why do you feel the need to draw a flower?"
"Nothing specific. Just the beautiful vase of rose you send me when you were on the mission"
"You like it?"
"I love it."
" I feel that I still have a lot to make up to you too" He told
Natasha knew where this one going "Steve, stopped blaming yourself from the Loki incident and the woman-that-I-rather-cut-my-tongue-out-of-if-i-have-to-say-her-name incident. I said I have half the responsible with the second incident too."
"But still I guilty about it. I thought that Sha- uh" Steve stopped when he saw Natasha frowned when he uttered that name "Uh-that woman and I can work as a friend because I never think of her more than that and I know that I will have no problem working with her. She is just my coworker. That's why I say you never have to worry about me cheating on you with any other woman"
"I know. I'm sorry too" She said "I just knew that she will try something like that. And I'm a woman, Steve. Even I am a super spy and always rational all the time but when it come to this... when it come to you, I'm just a normal woman who get jealous when some woman try to get close to my boyfriend"
"I'm sorry too. I was too naive, inviting her back to the tower like that and might lead her on or something"
"I forgive you"
"I forgive you too"
"Can we not talk about the past anymore?" She asked "It's time for us to move on from the past and focus about out future right now"
"The past, yes, I can stop. But in the future, if we have an issue between us, we have to talk right away"
"Okay" She promised.
Natasha hugged him tightly to ensure him that she didn't mad at him or anything anymore. Steve returned the hug and relax under her soothing touch.
They can make it. Everything gonna be alright.
AN:
- Thank you to my proofreader, RushmanNatalie!
- Please kindly leave a review!